Research Highlights

Each year our academics and research centres work with businesses, government and community organisations on specific projects, transferring our research into practice. We are making an impact that matters with research across many areas, some of which include:

1. Cyber Security

Security is a crucial consideration in technology design. Partnering with CSIRO’s Data61 (then NICTA), UNSW designed the OKL4 microkernel which endows computing devices with an enhanced level of security. Continued research led to the revolutionary seL4 microkernel, the first OS mathematically proven to be free of bugs.

Competitive advantage: 

  • Security – reduced likelihood of hacking or unauthorised access of an operating system

Impact:

  • Highly secure and resilient communications and data acquisition, storage, retention and analysis for government, defence, business, transport systems, emergency and health services
  • Economic impact of related companies founded by students and staff involved in the project, including Apkudo, Arista, Breakaway Consulting and Exablaze

Successful applications:

  • Apple iOS devices and other personal electronic devices• Real-world military systems, including a Boeing-built optionally-piloted helicopter, an autonomous US Army truck, and a space satellite platform of the US Navy.
2. Visual Analytics

Visual analytics includes learning object models, feature extraction and recognition from high resolution, remotely sensed images, tracking and virtual reality, biomedical informatics, medical image analysis and robotic vision.

Competitive advantage:

  • Methods include classical computer vision, machine learning, and deep learning

Impact:

  • Better image analysis for applications

Successful applications:

  • Diffuse lung disease feature recognition and quantification, I-Med Networks
  • Recognition of allergy dust mites in environment from visual images
  • Data analytics for preserving privacy in a camera-rich world